The Pursuit of Employability
Transcript of The Pursuit of Employability
2021OCTOBER
VOL. 41 • NO. 07
IFTDO Certificate inEmployability Skills
Interview with Dr. Daniel Kahneman
07 10
Interview with Mr. Roy Lai
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The Pursuit ofEmployability
HONORARY ADVISER TO THE BOARD
Dr. Ebrahim Al’Dossary (Bahrain)
CHAIRMAN
Dr. Ahmed Al Banna (Bahrain)
PRESIDENT
Mr. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra (India)
PRESIDENT ELECT
Dr. Helmi Sallam (Egypt)
PAST PRESIDENT
Ms. Sanja Miovčić (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
HON. TREASURER
Dr. Raj Auckloo (Mauritius)
MEMBERS
Mr. Ahmed Attiya (Bahrain)
Maj Gen. Dr. Mohammad. A Bin Fahad (UAE)
Dr. Ghalib Al Hosni (Oman)
Ms. Janet I.K Jolaoso (Nigeria)
Dr. Raed Khanfar (Jordan)
Dr. Chung-Cheng Lee (Taiwan)
Mr. Dickson C Onuoha, (Nigeria)
Dr. Nataraj Ray (India)
Mr. Meshack Justin Tafa (Botswana)
ASSOCIATE MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES
Dr. Patti P. Philips (Americas)
Mr. Tayo Rotimi (Africa)
Mr. CM Vignaesvaran (Asia-Pacific)
Mr. Chris McDonagh (Europe)
REPRESENTATIVE TO UNITED NATIONS
Mr. Tayo Rotimi (Nigeria)
HONY. SECRETARY GENERAL
Dr. Uddesh Kohli (India)
BUSINESS STRATEGY OFFICER
Dr. R. Karthikeyan (India)
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Conferences and Certification Mr. Chris McDonagh
International Projects Mr. Tayo Rotimi
Scientific & Awards Dr. Helmi Sallam
Membership Services Dr. Patti Phillips
Women Empowerment Ms. Janet I.K Jolaoso (Africa, Asia)
Ms. Sanja Miovcic (Europe)
Youth & Entrepreneurship Mr. Meshack Justin Tafa
Executive Board 2021
FROM THE EDITORDear Members,
As I put together this issue of IFTDO News, it has come to
mind that leaders around the globe face similar challenges and
that only those who welcome uncertainty without fear have a
place in the world of business. Great leaders grow with
adversity and with bounded optimism, they continue to look
ahead even during a crisis. The business leaders featured in this issue have done just
that, leading by example.
As we at IFTDO News continue on our mission to be a beneficial resource for you, I
would like to assure you that it is and will be our constant endeavor to bring you relevant
and unique content. Another year comes to an end and we welcome your ideas and
valuable feedback on what you would like to see in the forthcoming issues.
It is with great pleasure that I welcome our new members, Singapore Training &
Development Association (STADA), Foundation for Organisational Research & Education
(FORE), Pan-African College of Entrepreneurship and Professional Studies, NLP Limited
and Better Business Company. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate
with you and see what we can achieve together.
I would be remiss not to thank our team of leaders who are a collective of like-minded
and passionate game changers from all over the world, who have been delivering
knowledge and inspiration ever since their association with us.
May the tribe grow!
Happy Reading,
Sincerely
Dr. R Karthikeyan
Editor
IFTDO does not necessarily agree with the comments expressed in this newsletter and does not
accept responsibility for any views stated therein.
Secretary General’s Report
Membership Services
IFTDO Certificate in Employability Skills
How Companies Can Improve Their Hiring Process?- Interview with Nobel Prize winner, psychologist & economist, Dr. Daniel Kahneman,
Interview with Roy Lai, President, STADA
IFTDO General Assembly Meeting
From the Desk of President, IFTDO02.
Chairman’s Message 01.
04.
06.
07.
10.
14.
17.
IFTDO NEWS VOL. 41 / NO.7OCTOBER, 2021CONTENTS
Dr. Ahmed Al BannaChairman, IFTDO
+973 17552878
+973 39670010
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
Dear members and IFTDO family,
With the decrease in the number of Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases
globally, and the disruption occurring due to the top emerging
technologies, along with the latest trends and practices being applied
in the markets by major companies , let us be optimistic that the
world is starting recovering .
The International Federation of Training and Development
Organization (IFTDO) and after the Board approval of its strategy last
April, is now heading towards a new era in the field of human capital
development.
During the last few months we focused on launching two major
projects as follows:
• The first project aims to develop and harness the skills of trainers
globally, I mean Train the Trainer ( TTT ) under the umbrella of
Training and development, and in full cooperation with ITOL – UK .
The Federation will introduce this program in various countries of
the world, especially in the members' countries.
• The second project will address a critical issue that all
governments and stakeholders should pay attention to, which is the
training of the job seekers, by including them in an intensive and
practical training program for employability skills to ensure their
readiness to enter the labor market and how they can fit in any
organization. This program will be focusing on 10 different units to
enhance different skills with the objective of making job seekers
highly competent manpower.
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Dr. Ahmed Al Banna
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
From the desk of President, IFTDODear Friends,
At the outset let me convey my best wishes to you and your
near and dear ones. I am sure you all are safe.
Friends, the pandemic has certainly played a very destructive
role on economies around the world. It has nearly redefined
the way we have been doing business or even carrying on with
our daily life. We, in IFTDO, have also not been left untouched.
The 49th IFTDO World Conference and Exhibition, originally
scheduled to be held in 2020 had to be deferred and was
scheduled from Nov 24-26, 2021 at New Delhi, India. However,
India encountered the second wave of the ongoing pandemic
during April-June, 2021. Basis the various studies and
forecast, and the apprehensions about the probable third
wave, several large events had to be rescheduled, so was
ours. Keeping in view the larger interests of the humanity, we
at New Delhi have been constrained to defer the Conference
to 2022.
The revised dates are now April 27, 28 and 29, 2022. It shall
be an event that will mark the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of
IFTDO and is planned to be conducted in a hybrid mode. This
will include in-person gathering as well as a state-of-the-art
virtual platform to ensure safer and wider participation.
The theme of IFTDO-2022 will be “Strategies for an Agile
Work-culture: Pathways to the New Age”
We are extremely happy to convey that Mr. Dharmendra
Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship, Government of India and Mr. Hardeep
Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas,
Housing and Urban Affairs have agreed to be the patrons of
the Conference. Like every past IFTDO conference held in
India, this time too, the Honourable President of the Republic
of India is expected to inaugurate the event.
Ranjan Kumar MohapatraPresident, IFTDO
+91 98711 44444
02
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
The event is scheduled to feature several HR thought-leaders, spokespersons,
academicians, and practitioners in various formats of participation.
Meanwhile, we, in IFTDO feel very strongly, we cannot let go a year without an event.
A Curtain Raiser is being organised in form of a virtual conference. This two-day
virtual event is planned as a curtain raiser to the IFTDO 2022 Conference. The dates
for the event are November 25-26, 2021. It will be organised in a virtual mode and
feature Plenary sessions, Panel discussions and Fireside chats.
The Panel Discussions are around the areas of contemporary interest:
• Sustaining agility of organisations in developed and emerging economies
• Technology redefining the future of work and workplace
To ensure wider participation from the global fraternity, the proposed timings are
1245-1615 GMT. This conference has been kept free and I would urge participation
of members, their friends, and allies in this Virtual Conference in a large number.
Friends, India, is a huge and beautiful land full of wonders. From the Himalayas to the
Indian Ocean, Desert of Thar to the snowy mountains of Sikkim, it is a country full of
beautiful landscapes, diverse wildlife, flora-fauna, rich culture and cuisines, besides
an abundance of historical monuments, beautiful towns, rural side and natural
beauty. Its capital city “New Delhi” is one of the oldest cities in the world, whose rich
historical and cultural heritage cannot be expressed in mere words.
The beauty, culture, history and diversity of India will add spice to the multitude of
topics that IFTDO 2022 will delve on – be it the curtain raiser in Nov, 2021 or the
main event in April, 2022.
Besides expanding the learning horizon of delegates, the Conference and the curtain-
raiser shall be focused on increasing awareness regarding IFTDO Vision, Mission
and Activities.
We, therefore, look forward to welcoming you all to both these events. In the
meantime, please do enjoy festivities all around the world. However, do remain safe.
Take care of yourself so that you can take care of others as well.
Namaskar.
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
The Board has held 2 meetings- on July 7, 2021 and August 28, 2021 under the chairmanship of Dr
Ahmed Al Banna. Dr. Ebrahim Al'Dossary, Senior Adviser to the Board also participated. The Board
decided to postpone the 49th IFTDO World Conference to be held in New Delhi to April 2022 in
view of Covid 19. The 50th IFTDO World Conference will now be held in Cairo in 2023. A virtual
Conference will be organised by Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) on November
25-26, 2021, as a curtain raiser for the 49th World Conference. The Board also discussed the
proposal to set up IFTDO Africa region al chapter. Various aspects are under examination and a
decision is expected soon.
Board meeting and AGM were held on October 7, 2021. Annual Report and Accounts for 2020
were approved at these meetings. The Board decided to launch IFTDO-Africa as an affiliated body
in Nigeria. At the AGM Mr. Chris McDonagh was nominated as Chair-Elect for the term 2022 and
following were elected Board members for the term 2022-2023:
1. Mr. Harry Bundred, The Institute of Training & Occupational Learning, UK
2. Dr. Ghalib Hosni, Omani Society of Human Resources Management, Oman
3. Ms. Janet Jolaoso, Covenant University, Nigeria
4. Dr. Nancy Burns, ISPI, USA
5. Dr. Vinayshil Gautam, Dev Kusum International Foundation (DKIF)/ Foundation for
Organisational Research and Education (FORE), India
Ms Janet Jolaoso, Chair of the Committee on Women Empowerment (CWE), with the support and
advice of Mr Tayo Rotmi, Chair of International Affairs Committee of IFTDO, submitted a project
proposal on 'IFTDO - CWE Agric Business Empowerment for Women Small Holder Farmers in
local communities in Ogun, Oyo, Lagos States' to TOTAL Nigeria for funding. TOTAL Nigeria has
approved funding of about $17,000 for this project which has been approved by the Board.
Chris McDonagh, Chair of the Conference and Certification Committee has been negotiating with
our Full Member, The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning, (ITOL), UK, regarding
Certification and Accreditation. An MOU has been signed between IFTDO and ITOL, under which
ITOL will (a) Grant IFTDO the rights to offer ITOL qualifications and courses globally for the
duration of the agreement, (b) Grant IFTDO responsibility for the provision of Accreditation
services provided by ITOL and (c) Recognise IFTDO as a Strategic Partner on ITOL Website &
social media. IFTDO will
An IFTDO Talk in the form of a panel discussion was successfully organised on July 28, 2021, on
the subject 'Can AI Augment Human Intelligence or Replace it'. Three Panel Members who have
agreed to take part are: Mr Richard Bingley, UK, Ms Mary Loftus Ireland, Mr Abdulla Al Hamid,
Bahrain.
New Members: Foundation for Organisational Research and Education (FORE), India, and
Singapore Training & Development Association(STADA), Singapore, NLPLimited.com, UAE/Nigeria
and Pan-African College of Entrepreneurship and Professional Studies, Nigeria, have joined as Full
Members, and Better Business Company, Jordan, has rejoined as Associate Member, since last
Newsletter.
Many of our members are continuing activities through webinars etc. I wish them all success and
safe time during the present unprecedented crisis situation.
HONORARY SECRETARY GENERAL'S REPORT
Dr. Uddesh Kohli
Dr. Uddesh KohliHony. Secretary General,
IFTDO
+91 9811273142
04
IFTDO WELCOMES ITS NEWEST MEMBERSSingapore Training & Development Association(STADA), Singapore
Foundation for Organisational Research & Education (FORE), India
Pan-African College Of Entrepreneurship and Professional Studies
NLP Limited
Vasanth Sankaran
Director-STADA
[email protected]+65-82500758
Dr. B.B.L. Madhukar
Chairman
+91-9810149511
Patrick Chukwuemeka Orji
Dr (Engr.)
+234-8033006345
[email protected], [email protected]
Rajiv Sharma
Program Director
+2348075606378 +971 56 428 2000
Roy Lai
President-STADA
[email protected]+65-91459000
#03-04, Blk A, 80, Playfair Road,
Singapore 367998
www.stada.org.sg
“Adhitam Kendra”, B-18,
Qutub Institutional Area,
New Delhi-110 016
www.fsm.ac.in
1-3, Patfort Complex, Adeoye Street,
Adalemo, Sango Ota, Ogun State
www.pacepsonline.com
Blue Matrix Business Center, Prime Tower
Business Bay, Dubai, PO Box 112037
www.NLPLimited.com
FU
LL
M
EM
BE
RS
AS
SO
CIA
TE
M
EM
BE
RS
Better Business Company, Jordan
22 Al Nabulsi Street St.
Campbell Gray Living Amman
6th Floor office 601, Abdali Amman,
JORDAN
www.betterbusiness.com.jo
Mrs. Abeer Qumsieh
Founder & CEO
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES UPDATE
We are happy to announce that the IFTDO
Members Only Site is officially live. Over the past
few months, the Membership Services
Committee has designed a site that will support
the needs of our members. Now, you, as
members, can log in and access resources
specifically for you. On the site, you will find a
forum for exchange on critical issues. You will
also find insights shared by members, a
calendar of events, and a directory you can use
to connect with fellow members.
We hope you will take advantage of this site as it
is one of many benefits of your membership to
IFTDO.
Members Only Site
Many thanks to those of you who completed our
benefits survey. The results are in, and we will
share them during the Annual General Meeting
on October 7. Following the AGM, we will post
the findings on the members' site. The good
news is that overall, IFTDO members are
relatively satisfied with their membership.
However, we heard loud and clear that we can
improve – and we have the leadership team to
help us do just that.
Please stay tuned as we act on your feedback.
We plan to roll out new and improved benefits
and programs that will help you achieve your
purpose for joining IFTDO.
Benefits Survey
06
The entire world is facing an unemployment
phenomenon. This is especially true among
university graduates. To be successful in seeking
meaningful employment, job seekers need to
review their skillsets to ensure they are equipped
to gain employment in today's new world of work.
Employability Skills can be defined as the
transferable skills needed by an individual to
make them 'employable'. Along with good
technical understanding and subject knowledge,
employers often outline a set of skills that they
want from an employee. These skills are what
they believe will equip the employee to carry out
their role to the best of their ability. Employability
depends on your knowledge, skills and attitudes,
how you use those assets, and how you present
them to employers. Completing the IFTDO
Employability Skills Program will allow you
evidence of these skills in an interview or
application for a job.
IFTDO Supporting Job Seekers worldwide
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
CERTIFICATE IN EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
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Analytics about IFTDO Social Media Channels:
On his recent interview with
Wall Street Journal, Nobel
Prize winner, renowned
psychologist and economist,
Daniel Kahneman, addressed
the shortcomings of the
traditional hiring process and
the latest trends in a
structured hiring system.
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
How Companies Can Improve Their Hiring Process?
10
As a young lieutenant, Daniel Kahneman was
asked to improve the Israeli army's haphazard
process of assessing capabilities among
combat-eligible recruits. Armed with a
psychology degree and infantry experience, he
brashly made up some criteria, developed
questions to elicit relevant facts, and insisted
interviewers ask only what he specified. Each
recruit would be given a score on each
criterion, and the overall “Kahneman score”
would be used in deciding how demanding a
role was suitable.
His structured system worked. In the decades
ahead, he reports, the army determined that
the system really did result in better
assignments. With the benefit of the structured
scoring system, the interviewers also got better
at predicting success with their more intuitive
evaluations. That was back in the 1950s. Dr.
Kahneman has spent the decades since
researching and writing on decision
making—producing a body of work that has
had wide influence in the business world. In
2002, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his
psychological research into economics.
The power of structureTo begin with, what exactly is wrong with our
traditional hiring process?
DR. KAHNEMAN: It's not the best way of doing
things. Interviews should be structured. You
have to break up the problem into attributes of
the candidate and score each attribute
sequentially. That's the method I put in place 65
years ago when I set up an interviewing system
for the Israeli army. No prediction of
performance is very good, but this way is quite
a bit better.
Kindly elaborate with an example.
DR. KAHNEMAN: The simplest thing is to list
the attributes of the job before you interview.
Pick maybe half a dozen traits needed to
succeed, whether punctuality, technical skill,
even anger management. Then think of
questions that can help you determine if
candidates have these attributes
List the questions for each trait and score each
trait, maybe from one to 10, before moving to
the next. Ask the same questions, in the same
order, of each candidate. If punctuality is an
attribute, ask each whether they think of
themselves as punctual, whether they have
been punctual in their work in the past.
It's important to avoid the halo effect, whereby
everything about the candidate is colored by a
positive or negative first impression. This is a
big problem in hiring.
So, in short, should a relative value or weight
be attached to each of these attributes?
DR. KAHNEMAN: You are not going to do
much better by giving them differential
weights. If you give equal weight, you'll do fine.
But I'm not advocating necessarily that the final
score should be the average of those ratings.
As long as you delay judgment to the end of
the process, you can make an overall
evaluation of each candidate that includes
intangibles or intuition.
As employers, what exactly should we be
looking for?
DR. KAHNEMAN: Clearly, the most important
one is general mental ability, because that
predicts performance in a very large number of
Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
you are going to hire or whether you will get it
right. Those thoughts should be resisted until
you have all the information, unless of course
you have encountered a deal breaker, such as a
candidate who is dishonest.
Is the structured hiring process flawless?
What if it produces a terrible new CEO?
Doesn't that mean it was flawed?
DR. KAHNEMAN: Not necessarily. Even the
best possible processes are going to be highly
imperfect because many things are going to
happen that are completely unpredictable.
One's fate can depend on those occurrences.
Are interviews unnecessary? Isn't it better to
not meet the candidates so that there is no
halo effect, no biases about race or gender.
The candidates can just answer questions
online.
DR. KAHNEMAN: In some contexts, the
interview is detrimental, but that depends on
how much you know about the candidate
independently. In an interview, people do get
the sense of the chemistry between
themselves and somebody else. That shouldn't
determine your decision, but it's a valid input.
So are relevant credentials. Some credentials
are of value because they are a substitute for a
test of general mental ability. So, somebody
has been through higher education,
presumably that tells you something, even
when you're hiring somebody for an
administrative job and they have a degree in
English.
There is a message of humility ingrained in
your work. Your books suggest that we have
poor judgment and that we are subject to all
jobs. That's well established.
IQ tests can be performed and we can just
hire the person with the highest score?
DR. KAHNEMAN: Well, but that's not the only
thing. Performance in a situation is the best
predictor of future performance with that
situation. So, unquestionably, if you can have a
job sample, if you can get a candidate to do a
bit of the job or try out in some way, that's what
you ought to do.
What is your take on tests in general?
DR. KAHNEMAN: Tests are clearly desirable
because the uniformity contributes to the
reliability of the methods. By “tests,” we mean
that you are going to administer the same
questions to different individuals, and that's
pretty good. It gives you an objective
benchmark. It's another version of the
structuring we are talking about: making things
comparable across individuals.
What is intuition?According to Sigmund Freud, he intensively
researched minor questions, like which cigars
to buy; however, on questions like who to
marry, he went with his gut. Is this considered
wise?
DR. KAHNEMAN: No, of course not. But
intuition does seem to have a role. [Economist
and psychologist] Herbert Simon said, “Intuition
is nothing more and nothing less than
recognition.” In other words, people, through
experience, recognize a cue that triggers some
knowledge, and this is what we call intuition.
But first get the correct information. Do things
one at a time and try not to think about who
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
With artificial intelligence progressing rapidly,
isn't it inevitable that we will be handing over
more and more of this sort of thing to AI?
DR. KAHNEMAN: There's clearly a trend in that
direction. Bail decisions and various medical
diagnostics are already better done by AI.
In that case, why can't AI just recommend
that you use more AI? If given the choice,
won't a robot just hire another robot?
DR. KAHNEMAN: It's a fascinating question. AI
is one of the issues, like climate change, that
can change everything. But there is a Hebrew
proverb that I think is significant in this context,
which is that prophecy is for fools.
kinds of biases and influences.
DR. KAHNEMAN: There is a broader kind of
humility that's required: recognizing that we live
with a great deal of uncertainty, and that
failures of prediction often occur when the
outcome is caused by unpredictable events.
Good interviews might improve the likelihood
you'll be right say from 50% to 60%. If you can
go to 65%, it is wonderful. Doing better may be
impossible.
So employers have to conduct a wide search,
but how do they know when to stop?
DR. KAHNEMAN: Simon would tell you to hire
the first candidate to pass your criteria. That is
called satisficing. You're not really looking for
the absolute best because that would take too
long.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/daniel-kahneman-how-companies-can-improve-their-hiring-process-11632225600?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f
https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/with-workers-and-employers-feeling-ghosted-its-clear-that-the-hiring-process-is-not-working-heres-how-companies-can-improve-/articleshow/86529245.cms
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
An excerpt from the
interview with Mr. Roy Lai, President, Singapore Training & Development Association (STADA)
Dr. R. Karthikeyan, Chief Editor, IFTDO News
IFTDO: How the field of training and development
has advanced in Singapore over the recent past
has always caught the attention of our HCD
community. Since its inception, STADA has been
recognized internationally for its exceptional L&D
services. I wonder if you could tell us something
more about STADA.
Singapore Training & Development Association was
founded in 1972. Being one of the most
accomplished & longest-serving associations for
Human Capital Development professionals in the
region, STADA has launched various initiatives that
have impacted and shaped the learning landscape
over the past five decades. STADA was the first to
create certification programs in Experiential
Learning and Professional Diploma in Learning &
Development. STADA played a pioneering role in
trainer development curriculum formation at
Singapore. As the tagline suggests, we are well
poised to embrace the future, to lead the Human
Capital Development Industry and to take it beyond.
IFTDO: COVID-19 has changed the global
landscape drastically. Singapore was lauded for
its effective management of COVID-19. How has
STADA handled the challenges from the
pandemic?
I would like to sum up the whole experience in two
words – agility and versatility. When COVID struck,
I cannot deny that we were also stretched just like
everybody else in the world. However, our team
quickly realized that it was an opportunity to rethink
what we were doing. We were able to develop and
offer a Certification Program in e-Facilitation for our
L&D community, which is now one of the most
sought-after programs. It was indeed quite
challenging at first, but I believe acceptance of
reality was the key factor to how STADA overcame
this situation.
IFTDO: You have played the roles of an educator,
facilitator, developer, trainer, advisor and
supervisor. Now as the president of STADA, what
is your vision for the future?
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
In the beginning of this year, we embarked on a
journey of strategic planning for STADA. Along
with our Director, Vasanth Sankaran, we reached
out to all our stakeholders – senior members of the
community, well-wishers and industry experts and
charted a plan to restructure and reimagine the
future, the essence of which was instilled into our
6C philosophy.
Community - This is the most important and
central part of our philosophy. There is a Chinese
proverb, 'it is easy to break one chopstick but hard
to break a bundle.' Everything revolves around our
members. We work very hard to establish and
maintain a vibrant community of HCD
Professionals where the members and their
interests come first!
Connectivity – We strive to be an active platform
that connects our members with ideas, networking
events and business opportunities around the
world.
Collaboration – We encourage our members to use
the STADA platform to showcase their products,
programs and services and also benefit from our
local and international affiliations.
With respect to international affiliations, apart from
IFTDO, we have been a partner with Association for
Talent Development (ATD) for many years now.
Within Singapore, we have partnered with National
Employers Federation (SNEF) and Professionals'
and Executives' Co-operative (SPEC) and many
more are in the pipeline.
Co-Creation – We aim to generate new ideas,
products and services of value through research
and development along with members.
Capabilities – We offer a wide range of programs
for enabling success through building future-
focused capabilities tied to a comprehensive
framework.
Certification – STADA excels in setting and
advancing professional standards and recognition
of such achievements.
IFTDO: You are well known for your inspirational
speeches and for keeping your learning sessions
alive and vibrant. After all this time, what inspires
you to still keep going? Would you mind telling us
a little bit about your personal journey so far?
In this journey of leading and facilitating learning
sessions for others, I have come to realize that I am
the one who learns the most. So, whenever
somebody asks who I am, I say, “I am a learner.”
I believe I have four lives. First one was the
'naughty life', where I was not a great student
academically and quite a playful youth. I would like
to call my second life as the 'glamorous life', where I
lived as a corporate expat employee in Australia,
Germany, Taiwan and finally ended up as a GM of a
listed company in Thailand.
During this phase, I asked myself a question – is
this what I really want? The answer led me to the
'learning life.' After coming into this industry, I
quickly realized how little I knew. I began as a
trainer apprentice and slowly learnt many things
along the way. I have been here for 23 years and
have been enjoying the journey so far.
Despite the fact that I really like what I am doing
now, I aspire to move to the phase of 'other people
life' to lead a more fulfilling life, to contribute to
society and to help the people that need it the most.
IFTDO: You have been extensively involved in
training and development programs and worked
with a wide spectrum of industries in the last 20
years. What brought you into STADA and keeps
you in STADA?
STADA has been the heart of my learning life
journey. My earliest mentor, Leslie, taught me – “If
you want to get into the industry, you need to get
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
into the association of the industry leaders.” In
2012, I was invited to be a board member by the
committee and I gladly picked it up. In 2018, I got
an opportunity to become the President of STADA.
My personal belief is that we need to come
together to build a stronger and better community
whether it is locally or internationally. I aspire to
build a legacy for STADA which can go on for a
long time.
IFTDO: What are you looking forward to with your
IFTDO membership?
Having started around the same time, IFTDO has a
long history as STADA. It is a wonderful platform
to bring together organizations in the context of
Learning & Development. I am glad to be part of
IFTDO and would like to bring the benefit of this
global connectivity to STADA members as well.
Moreover, I also look forward for STADA to
contribute meaningfully to this global network. The
benefit has to be mutual and we look forward to
serve that purpose.
IFTDO: Over the last year, we have seen digital
transformation taking a huge leap forward and
organizations trying to allow workplace flexibility
and improve customer engagement. Learning
world is going through a big revolution too. What
do you think are some of the key drivers to watch
out for?
As much as we look at some of the transformation,
the fundamental grounding of learning needs to be
well developed. It is essential to always remember
that the first person that needs to keep learning is
ourselves.
Our world is moving forward at a fast pace. We are
no more just humans, we are becoming virtual
humans. We need to accelerate our technology
learning as it has proved to be more than 100%
beneficial. Today, the world is at our fingertips and
we can effortlessly reach out to a world-wide
audience that are thousands of miles away, which
earlier was not possible. Imagine how much time
and money is saved, how much efficiency is
achieved! In the process, we also have the ability to
touch more people's hearts and souls.
Today's generation likes more bite-sized learning or
micro learning, like quick learning while you are
taking the train. People prefer to learn at their own
pace now. I am sure all these multifaceted learning
modes will co-exist. Newer modes of learning
through Podcasts, Tik-Tok videos, etc., are catching
up.
IFTDO: The education in Singapore is considered
higher than many advanced economies. The
government's 'teach less, learn more' initiative has
been inspirational. What are some of the recent
trends in Singapore learning?
Traditionally, Singapore has always preferred a
contact-based learning – face-to-face, classroom-
based learning. As a result of the impact of COVID,
the government and the industry have moved into
virtual learning/mobile learning and now more
people are following it. The government is
focussing on more workplace learning and there is
a move away from classroom-focussed learning.
The Government of Singapore is researching
various new age learning methods and one of the
key charters of this research is to look at the
success factors that are driving the virtual learning
arena.
IFTDO: Thank you so much for taking the time out
for this conversation. Looking forward to a long
and fruitful association between IFTDO and
STADA.
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Vol. 41 | No. 07 October 2021IFTDO NEWS
IFTDO General Assembly Meeting (AGM)The annual general assembly meeting (AGM) was held on Thursday 7th October 2021 with more than 40 organizations of full and associate members have attended the meeting and in which the meeting discussed many items on the agenda for the future of IFTDO. In particular, the employability skills program as well as the training and development program as per the memorandum of understanding signed with: Institute of training and occupational learning (ITOL).
In parallel in this meeting of 5 board members have been elected as follows:
The IFTDO chairman and president wished all the best to the elected members, who will resume their role as official board members effective January 2022.
Harry Bundred Ghalib Hosni Janet Jolaoso Nancy Burns Vinayshil GautamThe Institute of Training &
Occupational Learning, UK
Omani Society of Human Resources Management,
Oman
Covenant University, Nigeria
ISPI, USA
Dev Kusum International Foundation (DKIF)/
Foundation for Organisational Research and Education (FORE),
India
17
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